Exquisite Reality
by Fher34
Summary: He would take her before the Blue Moon. Soon, she would be by his side and not them, and certainly not HER, who destroyed what he cheerished, was going to stop him from getting what he strongly desired. She was innocence in flesh personified and he was the dark sin keeping the balance. She belongued to him.Hyuuga Hinata was his. "I'm back...Hime."DarkRom. NaruHina.
1. Preface: Warnings

_**Exquisite Reality**_

_**.**_

_**Summary: Because reality has never tasted like lies and myths, it often made humans believe that they could see with their eyes. But they're blind; they don't. See, that is. They can't. They ignore what goes on. But not her. She can see...the exquisite horrors of reality, and so can he. He claims her to be his; she claims to not know him. What is true, and what is lie?**_

_**Genres: Romance/Supernatural/Fantasy/Angst**_

_**Rated: T but hm, maybe it'll turn to M due to some violence? Unsure.**_

_**.**_

_**Preface:**_

_Warnings_

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_._

_._

_A NaruHina Story_

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_._

_**By Fher34**_

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**I**

_He's coming..._

_He's near, he's so close now._

_Remember red, red blood, red eyes. _

_Remember the blood, remember the crimson, thick, salty blood in his mouth, his taste. _

_Blood,blood,blood,**blood,blood**..._

_Remember the blood, Hime..._

Hyuuga Hinata stared at the piece of notebook paper, lips parted and hands shaking as she stepped away from the innocent-looking ripped sheet as if were alive and dangerous.

No.

No! It wasn't supposed to be like this, the notes, the notes... They were supposed to stop!

She felt like someone had stuffed sand into her mouth, the lump forming in her throat forcing her to remain quiet. Her lungs refused to let in any air into her system and she opened her mouth wider, trying to breathe, to gain oxygen, to _stop this dread spreading through her body_.

She hit the wall with her back, still trembling, slender, white fingers rattling as she brought them to her mouth, trying to muffle a scream as she finally began to take control of her own actions. She turned away from the message written in dark red, and closed her eyes tightly, wanting to yell and cry and fall to the floor and deny what was happening.

But no.

This was real, the despair in her heart, the fear, the tears wanting to spill down her cheeks, the white paper written in a handwriting she was very familiar with, everything was. Really. _Happening_.

She knew who had written the warning, she knew who it was.

She just couldn't believe it was actually coming back to her, after all this time.

Everything had been fine the night before, she had finished her homework, hugged her father at the door as he kissed her forehead in temporary farewell, and cleaned the house as Neji returned to his apartment. She had planned on going out with Tenten and Temari today after classes ended for the day. School had been great, despite the fact that her college classes were driving her crazy.

That was normal, right? That was life, that was supposed to be what any teenager went through when they hit sixteen.

Her father would go on his business trips and come back a few days later, Hanabi would stay with her friend next door and Neji would come check on both his cousins at ten.

The notes weren't supposed to exist anymore, they were just a distant memory, a bad dream, unreal. The white papers with Gothic inky designs of dragons and angels drawn with a real pen tainted with red, fresh blood in elegant handwriting were unnatural.

Those things didn't exist.

But one of them was sitting on the floor, where she had dropped it hours ago. Because it felt like centuries had crawled by as she stood there, gasping for air, fighting to stay calm and praying for some sort of self-comfort.

Hinata opened her blue-violet colored eyes and let out an unstable sigh. She neared the note, her little steps sliding softly under wooden boards. She pressed rosy lips lightly together and bended to retrieve the note slowly, breathing through her nose to keep her hammering heart from protesting.

She wished she could analyze the words and find them odd, to think that her sister or Temari had chose to play a joke on her rather than to know what they really meant.

This wasn't a joke, and she knew it.

The small girl standing on her pajama pants and T-shirt two sizes too big brushed each of the sinister letters with her fingertips and let out a small, almost mute whimper.

"Why are you back?" she whispered to the unresponsive thin sheet before shoving it inside her pillowcase and getting ready for school.

Hinata grabbed her backpack and glanced at her pillow before swallowing thickly and vanishing into the morning sunlight sneaking through the grand window in front of the staircase, closing the door calmly after her, the bloodied note written in her own handwriting warning her of an unknown, dark future, hidden from view.

**I**

His eyes flickered to the only light visible in the whole street.

A passing figure with long hair and feminine body behind the blinds made his once soft orbs sharpen as they caught sight of her moving from one side of the room to the other.

His fists clenched as an animalistic impulse demanded to break through the door, grab the girl who was in the process of becoming a woman, and take her away from everything she knew and into his world, where everything he wanted became his.

Because she was his, after all. There was no doubt about it. The only problem was that he would have to make sure she remembered him and awakened her memories, hers and his, the ones that got lost in the way to this life, to this human world.

He would have to talk to her, but not now.

Now, he would only scare her away.

His ragged, torn clothes hung from his muscular frame in ribbons, the sleeves nonexistent at this point, his pants not doing much better and his face dripping with sweat fresh blood. He knew he looked as if he'd fought his way out of the jungle, but he couldn't care less.

She was here, so close to him.

He could almost feel the warmth emitted from her being, her soft skin under his fingers as he caressed white, untouched flesh , her quiet voice sighing against his lips.

_She was his._

A growl echoed in the quiet street and he bared his teeth, jaw tight as a muscle jumped. He had to suppress it, this hunger that knew no bounds. He had to do it for her...and for him.

To keep her safe, safe from _them_.

He wouldn't let them take her this time. This time, he would do everything in his power and take care of her in his own way, not listening to anybody's opinion but his own judgment.

This time things would be different and she would smile, smile for him and him only.

A small grin began to stretch across his tan face and he chuckled softly.

He would take her before the blue moon. Soon, she would be at his side and no one, certainly not them, and not _her_, the one who always stood in his way and destroyed what he cherished, was going to stop him from getting what he wanted, what he strongly desired.

She belonged to him, with her long indigo hair and big, doe-shaped eyes. She was innocence in flesh personified and he was the walking sin that kept the balance between life.

Hyuuga Hinata was _his_.

"I'm back,...Hime."

**I**

**.**

**.**

**A/N:** I'm horrible. I know, trust me, I loathe myself more than you do. I haven't finished '_The Thief & the_ _Heiress_' (NaruHina; I will, however, publish chapter 6 this weekend if possible!) nor '_Nightmares_' (SasuHina; will update after finishing chapter 6 for _TT&TH_), so sorry...okay, not really.

So sue me, I couldn't let the idea go. If I did, I wouldn't be bringing you any goodies now, would I?

The preface is short, like all my prefaces, but if you know me (I bet most of you don't) then you'll realize that I always post chapters reaching from 3,000-14,000, so don't be disappointed just yet!

Follow & Review! If I get six reviews, I'll try to post a chapter every two weeks, but if you guys aren't interested, then I'll continue with my other first stories and upload this one in my free time. :D

**-October 2, 2013**


	2. Chapter 1: Back In the World

_**Exquisite Reality**_

_**.**_

_**Chapter 1:**_

_Back in the World_

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_._

**I**

_White roses wilting in darkness_

_Eyes of passion, _

_Eyes of lust_

_Black roses and and an endless song._

_Remember the words, call them to you._

_Remember the words._

_Call them to you._

It wasn't a surprise anymore but a frightening reality.

The notes were back and they were here to stay.

Hinata's bangs obscured her eyes as she reread the note she had written at an unknown time.

It was stupid to assume anyone else had written it. She knew her script and knew her sister disliked writing in cursive. Hanabi thought it was old and too fancy for her but Hinata found beauty in the elegant loops and curves of the continuous letters.

_She_ had given a message to herself.

But when? She didn't know, and that scared her.

Was she sleepwalking again? If the notes were always in the same exact place where she had first found them as a child, then the answer to her question was yes, she was.

She brought a creamy hand to eye-level and observed the cut she had slain unconsciously on her skin to draw blood. The edges of the raw flesh were already closed, and hadn't she look for a mark, she wouldn't have noticed it.

Kneeling on the floor, she took out a shoe-box from under her bed and let the paper fall along with others similar to it, shutting the carton lid before pushing the square away and getting up.

Every one of her actions were performed without processing a single thought. Her body seemed to know what it was doing and Hinata let it.

The words in her message had left her mind blank.

White and black roses. Eyes. There was always eyes. Why was it always eyes? Passion? Lust?

Her cheeks reddened with just thinking the words. What was going through her mind when she wrote that? What was the purpose of leaving them if she didn't understand them?! Why were they back?

Hinata's fine eyebrows dipped and she bit her lip in frustration, pulling strands of dark, blue-stained hair with her fingers, trying to find an answer, a solution, a clue.

If her father found out she was still writing with blood as ink, if he found out she had started sleepwalking at night again, if –

Thinking about the ifs wasn't really helping.

She didn't want to even dwell on the idea of her father sending her to the mental hospital again. She didn't want to go there, she didn't want to remember. Stauing in a cold, somber place where people were afraid of their own shadows and the nurses gave her fake, creepy smiles as they turned her head this way and that during inspection with their cold, corpse-like scrawny fingers wasn't something she desired to experience again.

Hinata wasn't _crazy_ and at the age of five, when the notes began to appear beside her pillow, she hadn't known they were bad.

Instead, she had looked at the first one she ever received and searched for her mother in excitement.

Someone had left her a secret message!

But she needed someone to tell her what it meant. At her age, she hadn't known how to spell words nor read them properly. She was in need of someone else to do that for her, and whom better than her own mother, the person she trusted the most?

The only word describing her mother as she took hold of the piece of paper yellowed by age and marked in red was horror.

Pure and overwhelming horror.

"_What's wrong, mama?" the five-year-old Hinata asked, looking up with a confused expression at her mother's pale face._

_Hyuuga Hitomi grabbed her daughter by the shoulders firmly and looked at her straight in the eyes. "Hina, where did you find this?" she asked calmly, the note crumpled in her fist. _

_Hinata blinked and honestly said, "I don't know, it was on my bed this morning." Then she smiled. "It's pretty, right, mama? It has pictures of angels. Angels in red," she whispered, lowering her head, and her toothy smile widened. "I like red," she proclaimed, her blue-purplish eyes glowing with happiness at her own discovery as she glanced back at her mother. _

_Hinata reached for her mother's fist and tried to take the note but Hitomi held on fast._

"_Mama?" Hinata questioned but her mother wasn't listening. She was observing her daughter. Then she saw Hinata's hand and large big pale gray eyes widened for a reason Hinata couldn't understand, their usual warm surface hardened to frost._

"_Hinata..."_

"_Yes, mama?"_

"_Y-your hand...Why is it bleeding?"_

_Hinata was dumbfounded as she saw what her mama was talking about. She had bleed? When? How? "Mama, I don't know what happened." She frowned at the gash going from the bottom of her palm to the top, her excitement gone, replaced by a serious demeanor that was scary even for an adult, though her soft eyes remained. She hadn't even notice the throbbing pain pulsing like a heartbeat. A tingly, sharp heartbeat._

_She looked at her mother for an explanation but Hitomi seemed to be looking only at the small, childish palm. _

"_What did my note say, mama?" she suddenly asked, remembering how the conversation had started in the first place. _

_This snapped the older Hyuuga out of her trance and when she faced Hinata, her eyes were serious and calculative. She forced a smile. "Nothing, hon. Nothing."_

_With that said, her mother stood straight and walked away, her back rigid and her hands unstabble. _

Years later, after being released from the physiological ward, Hinata would find the note and be able to finally read what her mother denied to her once upon a time.

_Run and hide,_

_They will come, they came before_

_They will kill and spill the Ancient's blood_

_Hide from them, keep yourself safe_

_They'll spill the blood of the venerated Old_

_They'll kill the one you love_

_The hunt has begun._

**I**

**.**

She was wearing red.

Red and blue.

Uzumaki Naruto frowned slightly before his expression of swift unhappiness vanished and he exhaled bitterly, squaring his slouched shoulders.

He should have known she wouldn't forget, at least, not really. A part of her still remembered and acted unconsciously; proof that her old self was there, drowned into a peaceful slumber in the depths of her mind. He focused on that glimmer of hope and ignored the two familiar colors. Instead, he craned his neck and pushed his dark shades up the bridge of his nose, observing her face from afar, drinking in with fulfilling pleasure the fact that this time, she hadn't change much in appearance.

Long dark hair that fell in waves down her back, big eyes, and a small form.

But even if she had light hair and almond-shaped eyes, she would still be his Hime, just as he was hers, and there was no way it would ever change.

There was nothing to argue. It was as simple as stating the weather of the day.

It was undeniable.

She was his to posses in body and soul, and she had all power over him in return. That was the pact they had sworn, and he was more than happy to make sure she stood up for her word.

What really irked him, however, was the fact that she seemed oblivious. She wasn't aware, the way he was, and the notion was more than unwelcome.

His desire to walk across the street and into the school building was really tempting. To go and force the truth out of that lovely head of hers, to show her, to explain, to kiss her in more ways than one, and none of them innocent, was starting to sound like a very compensating plan.

But he had to wait.

Problem?

He wasn't very patient. Far from it.

He watched as his Hime walked out of the front door of the educational building, a blonde to her right and a brunette to her left.

Friends. She had friends.

A pang of guilt for what he would do within the upcoming weeks hit him, but his mind was set.

Hinata would come with him back to the hideout, and if he had to kidnap her to get her there, he would without a second thought

It was for the best, though a part of him wished she would struggle, just to see what kind of fight she gave him.

"You're back."

Naruto didn't bat an eyelash at the person interrupting his thoughts, but he felt the corner of his mouth quirk into a small, but notable, smirk.

"Ah," was all he said and didn't avert his eyes from the object of his musings. Hinata was now blushing crimson at something the blonde had said, pressing her forefingers together and most likely trying to sputter a response judging by the way she opened her mouth only close it back again, looking at the floor as if begging it earnestly to open up and swallow her whole.

His smirk softened into a fond smile of adoration. Hime was just as easily-embarrassed as ever.

"Naruto," the voice greeted politely with a small nod of acknowledgment as he took a step and the blond had to raise his sunglasses, exposing intense azure eyes with lavender freckles surrounding the black pupil, to unveil his amusement and interest at the newcomer.

"Gaara."

Aquamarine eyes met his own for a long time as both boys eyed each other silently. Red, flaming hair blew against the January wind, brushing against the kanji for 'love' tattooed to Gaara's forehead. His penetrating gaze pierced the Uzumaki, searching him for answers, motives, and details, all of which were partly hidden by a stoic facade. To anybody else, the red-head's face remained expressionless, an unbreakable shield of ice and indifference, but the blond had known him for a long time, and could clearly see the softness of his brow, the warm sense of friendship in the green-blue glaciers and the familiarity shared between the two.

It was easy and comfortable to be with someone who had known him for centuries. With Gaara, Naruto didn't have to pretend he was someone else, a normal eighteen-year-old teenager, perhaps, who attended collage and went home every weekend to visit his parents back home. He didn't have to act as if he led a human life.

He wasn't human and he would never be. His days of humanity were buried under piles of regrets and pain, emotions he would no longer feel if everything went according to his plan.

"I felt the energy created by the change of dimensions rippling yesterday at midnight," Gaara spoke as he broke eye-contact and leaned back against the wall Naruto was occupying. The way he stated his claim was careless but direct, as if he was bored with the subject and had better things to do and was bothering to talk just to get the conversation over with, though to Naruto's ears, Gaara's tone stated the complete opposite. Coming through a portal was no easy feat, nor managing to land and walk normally the next day without any visible wound, and Gaara knew that better than anybody.

"Is that so," Naruto drawled, shoving his hands into the pockets of his jeans after resting his shades onto his head, managing to dishevel the long wheat-colored bangs that framed his face.

"Hmph," the red-headed scoffed and added, "You haven't fed." A silent question hung in the air, and Naruto sighed.

"And I'm not going to," he responded.

"Always reckless," Gaara commented drily. "But feeding is not an option, and you know it. Either you do it or not."

The blond, standing an inch or so taller, tsked. "Come on; a few weeks won't kill me."

"But it'll weaken you," his friend pointed out.

Naruto made a face of distaste. "I'll be fine," he bit out, looking away and hoping that Gaara would leave it at that.

A resigned sigh.

"You came back for her, didn't you." It wasn't a question.

Naruto finally turned to face Gaara. The red-headed man was already watching him intently, like a cat waiting to see what the mouse's next move would be before it decided to devour the little rodent.

"You don't waste time, do you?" Naruto snorted. "It's been close to a century and you don't even give me a welcoming party? Gaara, you're a really bad friend, you know that?"

Gaara chuckled quietly, crossing his arms nonchalantly across his chest. "I could always give you a party with a few dozens of Trackers for dinner. I'd say _they'll_ be happy to see you finally came out of hiding."

Naruto scoffed, closing his eyes and placing his sunglasses back on as he tilted his head back. "I wouldn't be surprised if they show up in the next week or so, but they won't be the only ones," he murmured, his voice lowering and getting darker by the end.

Gaara, an individual that missed little next to nothing, grunted in reply, his eyes sharpening.

The cold wind howled restlessly and the sky was beginning to turn gray. A winter storm was on the way, Naruto noted grimly.

"The Guardians." Gaara was once again the one to break the intense silence. "They'll try to get her back," he nodded with his chin to Hinata, who was tying her blue scarf around her neck and blowing warmth into her closed hands as the brunette and her waited on the curve, students flowing out of school and parting ways as they each reached their respective vehicles. The blonde had left at some point and was nowhere to be seen.

"I won't let them," Naruto hissed, eyes narrow and cold. "They've done enough as it is. If they come near this particular town, they won't leave alive, I can assure you that."

Gaara's eyes closed swiftly. "The Guardians are powerful, Naruto. You know that better than anybody and so do I. You must be careful; they're not a group you can exactly go around and mess with," he muttered as he rubbed the back of his neck as if their talk was wearing him out.

Naruto pursed his lips and nodded grudgingly, accepting the undeniable truth. "I know that, but I can't let them do as they please and destroy everything I love."

"And by 'everything' you mean Hyuuga Hinata," Gaara pointed out, though his voice was full of sympathy.

A boyish smile shattered Naruto's usual mask, only to turn melancholic as he responded, "She's the only person that keeps coming back. Everyone's gone."

Gaara said nothing. He followed Naruto's gaze and his eyes settled back once again on the subject of their conversation.

She was wearing a red hoodie too big for her petite form with navy-colored jeans. Her black winter boots reached below her knees and a blue scarf adorned her neck, safely tied several times. She held her books close to her chest in such a way that one would think she was trying to protect her body from something. Her face turned, exposing a clear, porcelain profile and she smiled at something the brunette with twin chestnut-colored buns on her head said. From the distance, he saw how her hair scattered across her face as the wind coiled with dark blue strands.

She looked up to the sky and her smile disappeared as a thoughtful expression forced its way onto her face.

Gaara turned his attention to his friend, watching him quietly from the corner of his eye. "What will you do?"

Naruto didn't avert his eyes. "I'll keep her safe."

"That's not what I meant. Will you tell her the truth?"

A moment's pause.

"I'll keep her safe," was all the blond relented and from the stubborn set of his jaw, Gaara knew not to keep pushing him.

He turned back to the small girl, whom looked lost in thought, her mane dancing to a silent melody, and wished his best friend the best of luck.

**I**

**.**

Hinata waved good-bye as Neji drove away from the house and stared after the vehicle until the red back lights disappeared into the gloomy darkness of the night. She hugged herself, jumping from one foot to the other as an effort to keep her toes warm.

She closed the door softly, finally cutting off the wintery cold air and the small beep of the alarm system echoed down the hall.

"Hanabi-chan," she called, making her way to the kitchen, where a cereal-devouring Hanabi sat on the bar with a tall glass of orange juice beside her bowl.

The youngest Hyuuga made an indescribable sound that Hinata took with a hint of amusement as a rough 'what?'

Hinata chuckled at the scene. "Father will be here tomorrow afternoon," she informed her as she took a seat in front of the brunette.

Lavender eyes shades lighter than her own looked up at her with a frown.

"Thach it?" Hanabi asked in disbelief with her mouth full.

"Hana-chan, manners."

"Bite me!" Hanabi chirped as she took another spoonful of her favorite cereal into her mouth and munched loudly on purpose.

Hinata mocked a frown of disapproval before both sisters bursted into laughter.

"How was your stay at Moegi's yesterday, Hana?" Hinata asked, taking over her motherly role.

The youngest Hyuuga shrugged her tiny shoulders. "'twas alright. She put red lipstick on me again," she grinned.

"Oh, really," Hinata commented, placing her chin on her folded hands.

"Yup. I gotta admit; I looked sexaaay," she winked and Hinata giggled. "But," she added, an odd expression of seriousness on her face, "we saw this guy outside..."

Hinata raised her head to look her sister, interest spiked. "A guy?"

"Yeah!" Hanabi said, her eyes shinning with excitement at telling the news. "He was standing right in front of our house in the cold."

Hinata's amusement died off and she frowned, elegant black brows coming together in concern. "Did he do anything?"

The youngest shook her head and tapped her lips with her spoon. "Not that I know of. Moegi and I played spies for a while and kept the lights off so he wouldn't see us at the windows. He was just standing there,looking at the house, and I think he was wounded," she said truthfully.

Hinata blinked. "Wounded?" she wondered aloud.

"Yeah, he was like, limping when he walked away and when Moegi and I went to look at the place where he was standing this morning, we found some red stains on the grass and sidewalk."

A chill went up Hinata's spine and she had to swallow discreetly. "At where exactly was he looking?" she inquired carefully, not wanting to scare her baby sister.

Hanabi looked thoughtful, then grim. She put down her spoon and got up from her seat, grabbed her bowl, and set it in the sink. She looked outside the kitchen's window and finally spoke, eyes narrow, "He was looking at your window."

**I**

**.**

**A/N: **Chapter 1 done.

I know there's many questions, but trust me when I tell you you'll understand more in the next chapter...in which our protagonists will finally meet. Originally, I was going to write a 6,000 word chapter with Naruto and Hinata's meeting, but I wanted to give you guys this first because I'll be busy this month and I had this ready, so I said to myself, 'why not?'

Someone was wondering if I was going to do lime or lemon...the answer is...NEITHER! LOLOLOL

Kidding, kidding. Truth is, I've never written lemons so, yeah. Lime, however, will be written (I bet you're all saying HELL YES to this one). As for who are they? And her? The her, you'll find out later ; 'cause I love suspense.

Many pieces of cake to those who reviewed:

**Awesomeinhumanfrom, Rose Tiger, Nafsi-chan, YungHime, and kika04!**

You guys make me cry of happiness.

Oh, and for those who clicked Favorite/Follow make sure to do both because Favorite stories are not sending e-mail notifications o_o. I had to go through all my Favorite Stories and click 'Follow,' too.

-October 13, 2013

-Published 10/25/13


	3. Chapter 2: Angel in the Snow

_**Exquisite Reality**_

_**.**_

_**Chapter 2:**_

_Angel in the Snow_

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_**.**_

_**.**_

**I**

_Abomination._

_A single word. _

_The ones who Protect and Guard kill and harm._

_Abomination, we were called._

_Abominations we are not._

I

"Is this it?" the blond asked wearily, observing the last four folders on his wooden desk with anxious but hooded eyes, the luminescent light of the lamp above his head reflecting on the surface of the antique piece of furniture.

"Yes," muttered an equally tired voice to his left, where a boy of nineteen years of age was resting his dark-haired head on the carpeted floor, his limbs randomly laying in strange and awkward poses. Not that Sai would ever care;apparently, he was too tired to think properly and if Gaara came to suddenly enter the room and not notice the passed-out male on the floor buried in documents and stumble (highly unlikely), Sai would still not give a damn.

"We have to finish, Sai," Naruto called out sternly but his conviction failed him and his words came out as a drawl.

He was answered by a low, and rumbling snore.

Making a face of annoyance, the last Uzumaki sat back on his chair in resignation, closing his protesting eyes that burned from reading for five nights straight.

All right, so perhaps reading page after page of information, looking and analyzing every single detail, without a break wasn't the smartest idea, but Naruto had been too eager to dig in and read to think about the after-effects of using his eyes for days without bothering to blink.

His mind was a complete disorder, much like the study room he and his companion were currently occupying, and had he been human, he would have dealt with a splitting headache. Now though, he could feel a dull ache pulsing on his temples and the dizziness lulling him to sleep. Yes, perhaps not the most convenient plan, yet, it was the fastest one he had. More than a hundred hours and twenty hours reading papers that had one main thing in common: Hyuuga Hinata.

Worth it?

Hell yes.

Birth certificates, medical history, records, photos, school schedules, and everything else that could come to mind regarding Hime had been read and scrutinized until everything got copied to memory.

An ignorant on-looker might have thought his actions borderline obsession, but Naruto still needed more and if he was to be tagged with obsession, so be it. He needed to know every detail of her life, of _this_ life, who were her friends, what she eat, what her favorite color was. Everything. From her blood type to her favorite book, shoe size, and number of indigo strands atop of her head.

He was surprised but pleased to see that everything he remembered was still intact with some minor changes, like her eyes.

_Blue-violet_, he mused with an idiotic grin on his face as he thought about the unusual coloring. He should have known it would happen but knowing for sure had left him filled with joy. His own had changed, though they remained to be azure in shade, the mercury-like lavender hints subtle yet attractive, so it shouldn't have come as a big surprise that hers had modified as well.

She was Marked, just like him, and he couldn't wait to see her with half of his eyes mixed with her own in person. He wanted to see and feel her again. Her new eyes testified to anybody who knew them, of his race, that she was his, that a part of him lived in her.

The thought made his grin stretch and he chuckled to himself, the silky sound echoing in the room.

From the pictures he had found, she was always looking away or downwards, her bangs hiding the most important feature he wanted to note and he didn't know whether or not she was teasing him unconsciously, beckoning him to break his will of steel and take her away once and for all. His desire of running from the house he was now dwelling in and see her was something he had fought constantly in the last few days, always reassuring himself that she wouldn't disappear this time, that Gaara and Hikataka were constantly searching for threats as he read in a silence that was only cut by the whisperings of papers shuffling.

He wanted to flee the room and hold her. Or better yet, bring her into the room, where she would be safe, kick the slumbering Sai out, _and_ hold her.

Naruto gave himself a mental congratulatory pat on the back for being such a genius and sighed, sitting back up and opening his eyes as he reached for the last set of folders waiting patiently to be stolen of information.

He blinked several times at the blurry words dancing in front of him before his gaze sharpened when it brushed against 'mental institution'.

What...?

_Hyuuga Hinata_

_-Entered at age six._

_-Cured at age twelve._

His face darkened and his eyes skimmed quickly through the page.

..._hears voices..._

_Sounds at night..._

–_walls and paper stained with blood the following morning..._

_Messages written in her handwriting can only be proof of her mental insanity taking shape.10916 may need to be restrained from harming herself further._

_...claims to not know where these morbid warnings come from..._

_She says someone is after her..._

–_guards assigned to watch her door after she ripped the VI from her arms last Thursday–_

_...tests show that her brain activity reaches its peak during the nighttime –_

–_four years since she was entered in the Genesis III Program –_

Naruto felt his hands begin to shake, rattling the words in front of him but his eyes were set and unmoving. Cold and angry.

What the hell had Hitomi and Hiashi done to their daughter? What the hell had they done to his Hime?!

His eyes fell from the report and quickly surveyed the next set of notes written in what he assumed to be a male script.

_Nov. 17,_

_Today, patient 10916 has remained asleep for three days in a row. She has yet to wake. Parents called in. Results: parents did not present themselves. No medicament was given and her iron pills are yet to be taken. Side note: Natural slumber? Must investigate causes. _

_Dec. 21,_

_Sleepwalking has become a daily routine for 10916. She seems to not have control of her own mind during these scenes, which is understandable given her condition..._

_...strangest thing is that she seems to be awake yet has no..._

_Jan. 3,_

_She has been experiencing hallucinations from the last few months. She speaks of a voice calling her name. Last week she was found in her room crying for a certain 'Aka-kun' and 'Miko-chan' – says they're in danger. 10916 hold one-sided conversations until sedated due to aggression. The last time she was awake, she spoke of a Valley of Tears 'where two powerful pairs of eyes were destroyed' and fell back on her bed asleep as if nothing had happened. She did not wake for six days. _

_The Valley of Tears._

A tremor ran over his body and Naruto stiffened.

Enough.

He had read enough.

The blond threw the papers on the desk and got up from his seat, his eyes narrow and tinted red with rage.

He needed to see her. _Right now_.

He pushed the French doors of the entrance open without caring that they belonged to Gaara and let them bang close so hard one might have thought they would come to be nothing but dust and splinters of wood. He stepped out into the dark night, his jaw clenched, and allowed the cold winter air to lash out at him and compete with the glaciers that had come to be his blue eyes. Tonight not even the white snow falling from the calm skies was going to placate him.

_Hime has always loved snow._

A well-kept memory Hinata glowing with happiness as she laid on the icy blanket of white in her wedding kimono came to him. She had looked beautiful that day, he remembered correctly, and he had stared unashamed at the woman that was now his wife, memorizing every single detail, from the thick, black lashes to the redness of her lips, as she, in turn, marveled at the canvas of gray and pureness moving overhead. She had pointed up, her smile radiant and so big it could have brightened the darkest places of his soul, her eyes a pale lavender that looked like a warm, comforting pillow, and said, "The skies gives us their blessings."

He had cocked his head, long blond bangs of hair moving to the side as he watched her with intense, cerulean blue orbs. "You think?" he had smiled, making her gain heat on her cheeks.

"Hai," she had whispered, not turning away from his gaze, those eyes he loved to watch holding so much love and tenderness he had wanted to scream it to the whole world and let them know that he, Uzumaki Naruto, was loved.

"And what are those blessings?" he had quietly questioned as he moved closer to her tempting mouth.

Hinata's eyelids lowered, knowing what would come, her long, ebony hair adorned with snowflakes. "Those blessings say..." she murmured, her breath caressing his own, "that our love will overcome the winter," she had finished before he had stolen those full lips that often drove him mad.

Now, his hands balled into fists and the memory of her only fueled his anger.

How could they? How _dare_ they caged Hime like some sort of animal?! For six years!

"What have they done to you, love?" he whispered before vanishing, the only evidence of his presence a few footprints in the moon-washed snow.

I

She swallowed, the motion cutting the internal walls of her throat like sharp razor blades without consideration.

The cold atmosphere of her bedroom made her shiver uncontrollably and not even the thick layers of cloth hugging her body -an attempt at keeping her temperature stable- were enough to prevent the icy air from caressing her skin with their frozen, nonexistent hands.

Hinata folded the note carefully and placed it into the box containing the others, shoving it away from her as fast as possible. Today was Sunday, almost the end of the weekend and she didn't want to think about her sleepwalking habits, not now with her Father here in the house.

Her breath came out in small, puffy balls of mist and she rubbed her arms. The room was so cold; _why was it so cold_?

She went out into the hallway to check the thermostat. Surely someone had gone and messed with it...

She looked up, finger lifted and ready to press the upper button of the device to rise the heater, and caught the green numbers staring back at her ominously

82 degrees Fahrenheit.

"I-it must not b-be working properly," she murmured to herself, staring in obvious disbelief.

She pushed the button until it reached ninety. Yes, the thermostat had to be broken, she nodded in her head as she shook, lacking warmth.

"What the heck do you think you're doing, Hinata!" exclaimed an indignant Hanabi dressed in shorts and tank top as she quickly approached to swat Hinata's hand away from the controller. She looked at the end result with a pouted mouth and her eyes grew the size of saucers when the number flashing at her mockingly and finally registered into her brain. "The hell!" she cried, swiftly dropping the temperature as if her life and sanity depended on how fast she set the heater back to its rightful set of numbers.

"H-Hana-chan," Hinata whined, trying to reach through her sister and stop her act of cruelty.

"Hinata, are you crazy! Do you have any idea of how hot it is?!" Hanabi expertly avoided the bluenette's attempts at reaching the white device glued innocently to the wall behind her, only to recoil as if she had touched an electric current when Hinata's hand rose her own.

"H-Hana-chan, I'm so c-cold," Hinata stuttered, in the verge of genuine tears. She couldn't stand it anymore."Please let –"

She was cut off by Hanabi's hand touching her forehead. The brunette removed her hand briskly as if she had touched hot iron and stared at Hinata with concern. "Onee-chan, you look really pale," she commented, her eyes watching the pallor on the older Hyuuga. "And you're ice cold. You okay?"

Hinata bit the inside of her cheek and nodded after a moment. "J-just cold," she added when Hanabi narrowed her pearly, white eyes at her.

She gave a doubtful "Hmph," before shaking her head, lips pursed. "Seriously, Hinata. You can tell me if you're not feeling well. Jeez."

Hinata waved her worries away. "Really, I'm fine," she insisted softly.

"I don't believe you," Hanabi sang as she turned on her heel and rushed to her bedroom, leaving Hinata behind to stare after her.

Hinata turned her attention to the shiny technological device staring back at her with an imaginary halo of light surrounding it. She resisted the urge of raising her hand and putting it up to ninety again.

Muffled, skipping steps made her turn to see her younger sister with a handful of blankets scaling so high they hid her face from easy view.

"Here," Hanabi said, her firm voice a little bit gentler. "Take these and keep warm, onee-chan!"

Hinata blinked and then smiled, a little of her color back on her face. "Hai!" she breathed, taking the generous number of blankets in all sizes and colors. "Thanks, Hana-chan."

Hanabi snorted and turned away. "Yeah, yeah, yeah. I'm just doing it 'cause I know if I don't, you'll freeze to death!" she called over her shoulder and closed her bedroom's door with a chirpy click.

I

_12:02 A.M_, the alarm clock in her nightstand read, but Hyuuga Hinata wasn't really looking at it.

Blankets mounted on her bed, swallowing her and making her appear smaller than usual. Her dark mane of midnight blue spilled on her pillow, and under the covers, one might have thought that nothing but an unshaped figure lay still, but for people who came to know Hinata and lived with her in a daily basis, the petite girl with dark violet eyes was indeed...extremely gifted in the curvy department.

But Hinata wasn't thinking. Her lids were open, orbs staring at nothing and yet, seeing everything.

The cold she had felt minutes before seemed to disappear and her arms robotically threw the blankets off and her body got itself out of bed without requiring thought processing.

If you were to look outside your window a minute later, the shape of a girl would have flickered in your range of vision, enveloped in an atmosphere of black, and disappeared into distance.

I

He knew something was amiss when he arrived.

At first, he thought nothing of it when he caught sight of the nightlight Hime always had on in her room.

She was safe.

A feeling of restlessness overcame him and he shifted his weight to his other leg, perhaps assuming that not having brought a jacket was the cause of his discomfort.

He was wrong.

He never really got cold.

When he realized that she was nowhere within her house, he panicked.

_The Guardians_, was his first alarmed conclusion and a profound terror overwhelmed him, so he ran, deep into the woods, looking for landmarks, searching for footprints in the snow, for clues to direct him. The blond was fast on his feet and his tracking skills paid off when he saw the small holes in the snow leading to the wilderness behind the suburban.

He moved.

One moment, he was in the backyard of her house, and the next running like a ghost gliding through an enchanted fairyland, where beautiful but deadly creatures roamed and watched for their next victim, for their next lover.

_Where are you, Hime?_

His feet barely touched the ground, but he could feel the wind obstructing him, trying to drag him back with its force.

Naruto ignored it and kept moving.

The white landscape washed in silvery light gave the forest an unnatural and frail look that dared anyone to break its iciness.

And then he felt her.

She was close, but her vital signature was slowly fading away from his grasp like water through his fingers.

He didn't know how he got into the clearing or how fast he ran, but when his eyes fell on the figure laying on the ground, his breath caught and his legs automatically ceased their run.

Her hands were folded over her stomach, her eyes open and staring at the dark abyss of the night above, her mouth parted, blue, bloodless lips shaking, - the only thing that said she was alive -, her face white. Right then, she looked like an apparition, a woman with long, dark hair that didn't exist, that could _not_ exist. She was laying in the same position she had all those years ago in their wedding day, before she was Marked and later on taken from him.

He felt anguish and misery eat away at his heart, at the organ that used to beat for her once, at the organ that belonged to her and that continued to live for her today. There was nothing for him anymore. Every dream and hope was gone, destroyed and dead. Only two remained, and she was the most important one of them.

He knelt before her, his hands itching to touch her, to hold her to him and never let her go.

_How many years has it been_, he wondered as he neared her, arms outstretched, _since I saw you like this? Since you were mine and you knew it?_

His fingertips touched her ice-cold skin, hardened by the elements, and he hissed at the burning sensation that was created when he came into contact.

He picked her up, carefully and gently, and Hinata let him by not offering any resistance. She was gone into another world, oblivious to the blond carrying her back to her house.

It didn't take long to settle her back in bed, where he sat with her. Her clothes were frozen and wet, her body shivering as it tried to rise its temperature quickly.

Naruto's hands moved fast, and he removed her yoga black pants, her bulky sweater, her long-sleeve thermal shirt and everything else that was on the way until she was left in her underwear and he placed her under the covers of her bed. He refused to look at her in her state of undress not because he was shy (hell, she had been his wife; he knew every single shape and inch of her skin) but as an act of respect. She didn't remember him, not yet, and though he loved her and she was his, he wanted to know she had given him permission.

_He would make her remember._

She would come to know Uzumaki Naruto.

"Hime," he whispered, his word almost breaking as her eyes began to slid shut and then open once again. He sat at the corner of her bed, her head on his lap, his fingers tangling themselves in her hair, his brain drunk with the smell of rosewater and something uniquely hers. His hands began to tremble slightly as every muscle in his body fought the urge of embracing her.

The color was back in her cheeks and her lips had turned back to their natural crimson.

Her chest rose with each of her breaths, and had her eyes not been open, she would have looked completely asleep, like an angel in the snow.

So innocent and yet so tempting...

His knuckles traced her cheek up and down, the warmth so good and comforting as it spread throughout his body.

"Remember me, Hime." He ducked his head, his nose buried into the hollow of her throat. She was so addictive she drove him to the point of sweet insanity...

He felt her touch, soft as a feather but as powerful as a bolt of lightning, and her slender fingers holding on to the manly hand on her face, so delicate yet firm, sending warning bells in his head.

Naruto muted a gasp and looked up slowly, his eyes wide and fearful though anxious and expecting.

Light lavender eyes with no trace of blue stared back at him.

**I**

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A/N:

**Thanks to** Kibachow, naruhina fan, Rose Tiger, Nafsi-chan, YungHime, Qchessy, kika04, and forbiddenluv4Naruto!

Your support makes me write these chapters faster even though my homework is practically dragging me away from my computer screen!

:D

Updating Stories:

-_Nightmares_ :Probably on Saturday, Nov 9. Expect Chapter 5: Deliriums :O!

-_The Thief & the Heiress_: Within next week, I believe. Expect Chapter 7: Save Me

-_Exquisite Reality_: Within two weeks :P. Expect Chapter 3: Blue Eyes

-Nov 5, 2013

Published 11/6/13


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